India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, the country's IT secretary said in the government's first public comments on the incident.
Sensitive lists of components and suppliers, as well as photos of iPhone 18 Pro models, are among the files that were posted on the dark web by a ransomware group that stole data from Tata Electronics, Apple's Indian suppliers.
"We are investigating," S. Krishnan, secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, told reporters on Friday.
Krishnan said the incident had been reported to India's Computer Emergency Response Team, the main agency responsible for computer security issues.
The breach threatens the carefully negotiated, highly sensitive business of building the iPhone, which Apple assembles using a collection of suppliers worldwide.
Apple is expected to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September.
The leak exposes which companies are producing specific components for the iPhone 18 Pro models, information that Apple does not disclose in its public database of suppliers.
Tata Electronics leak
Tata has hired a global consultant to conduct a forensic audit after the leak also saw Tesla, Qualcomm, and TSMC documents posted on the dark web.
The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated business of building the iPhone, which Apple assembles from a thicket of suppliers worldwide.
For years, Apple production continued in China with zero leaks, yet a leak like this in India, where 25 percent of global manufacturing takes place, underscores India’s insecurity for major tech firms yet again.
Apple is reportedly on track to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September.
Tata Electronics' leak of more than 200,000 files on the dark web included files with purported component design papers of older iPhones and some parts of Tesla, both Tata clients.
They also included documents of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Qualcomm, both of which make parts used in iPhones.
New documents reviewed by Reuters show there are at least six files that map many components in the iPhone 18 Pro models to the specific company that supplies them.
These include details of chips on its main circuit board and parts of the battery and cameras.
